Background: Rapid diagnostic tests play a pivotal role in the early diagnosis of malaria where microscopy or\npolymerase chain reaction are not immediately available.\nCase presentation: We report the case of a 39 year old traveler to Canada who presented with fever, headache,\nand abdominal pain after visiting friends and relatives in India. While in India, the individual was not ill and had no\nsigns or symptoms of malaria. Laboratory testing upon his return to Canada identified a false positive malaria rapid\ndiagnostic (BinaxNOW�® malaria) result for P. falciparum with coincident Salmonella Typhi bacteraemia without\nrheumatoid or autoimmune factors. Rapid diagnostic test false positivity for malaria coincided with the presence or\nabsence of Salmonella Typhi in the blood.\nConclusions: Clinicians should be aware that Salmonella Typhi infection may result in a false positive malaria rapid\ndiagnostic test. The mechanism of this cross-reactivity is not clear.
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